After reading several messages on the Commodore Echo complaining about Beta release of Desterm 2.01 not being able to download/upload, lack of RTS/CTS support, and not being able to support higher than 9600 without getting garbage on screen or forced to stay at 9600/19,200 for clean screens; I decided to make this upgrade post to help the many users out there.
First of all to download/upload go under the "Edit Defaults" section of the menu. Select the desired transfer protocol. When you need to download/upload, your selected transfer protocol will be there. As of 2.01 release you are given the following options:
Xmodem.dpr
Ymodem.dpr
Punter.dpr
Compiler.dpr
Ascii.dpr
Xmodem.dpr gives you these options: Xmodem & Xmodem 1k.
Ymodem.dpr gives you these options: Ymodem Batch.
Punter.dpr gives you these options: Punter (C1), Multi Punter #1 and Multi Punter 10.
Compiler.dpr loads the compiler for script..
Ascii.dpr gives you these options: Ascii/Cbmscii & Vacant.
If you wish your desired protocol to be there next time you load Desterm 2.01 then save your settings under edit defaults option in the menu. Desterm 2.01 does not have RTS/CTS support. This isn't a problem. I have enclosed in this message the modem settings you should use. But keep in mind that this is for a Zoom 14.4k 32bis fax modem. Other brands may vary on the extended AT commands. If you are getting garbage at rates higher than 9600 baud with a CMD Swiftlink do these changes: Set Xon/Xoff to on in Desterm under "Protocol Settings" of the menu. Next, set your modem for Xon/Xoff. This is usually done with the command AT &K4 \G1. To write it to your modem's memory do this AT &K4 \G1 &W0. Do not set RTS/CTS on your modem. You can only have Xon/Xoff. Now at 14.4k up to 38.4k you can do these speeds clean with Desterm 2.00-2.01 or 57,600 baud with Desterm 2.00-2.01 and a Hart cartridge.
Most important of all, I recommend the Initialization String to be ATZ.
Below is the modem settings you should use with Desterm 2.00/2.01 with a CMD Swiftlink or a Hatronics Hart Cartridge.
I have done all the above mods & they all work reliably with no garbage screen displays. I'm using 57,600 speed and Ansi Emulation and still get clean screens and transmissions with the Hart cartridge and with Swiftlink I'm using 38,400 speed and Ansi Emulation and still clean screens and transmissions.
I hope this update helps you users out there. I have used both Dialogue & Desterm. The only problem with Dialogue is the lack of multi-punter support and bad Ansi emulation. Desterm 2.00 and up handles this perfectly. In Desterm 2.01 Multi-Punter 10 is the one to choose. Plus, now you can use the CMD devices including ramlink with Desterm 2.01.
One other helpful hint is alot of users complain when using Ramlink with CMD's Swiftlink and the REU; that under Desterm you can't use the REU. This is not true. If you purchase an Aprotek Cartridge expander or the 2+1 Cartridge expander (CMD) you can plug the REU in with Swiftlink in the Pass thru port using the Cartridge expander and now you can use both the Swiftlink and REU in Desterm.
Well, I hope this helps the Desterm users out their with the problems they have been having with Desterm 2.01/2.00.
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Subj : Desterm Help
From : Nate Dannenberg
To : Mike Hagerty
Hi Mike,
Here are some answers to your questions.
MH> My version of 2.01 seems to be plagued with bugs (AKA operator error).
What's new?
MH> 1, SWAP, in buffer options menu.
Don't use it. It only works on certain machines. Even if you have 64K video RAM (which this option requires) it won't always work.
MH> 2, EDITORS, CHARACTER.EDT and
Use EDITABLE.EDT to get a normal DesTerm 2.00 style buffer. Use CHARACTER.EDT to increase the capacity of the buffer from 733 lines (which seems allow only 25K on average) to character based storage of up to 61K of data no max num. lines to get in your way). You cannot edit the buffer's contents in this mode, but you can in EDITABLE mode.
MH> 3, CHANGE DIR'S., in Disk Operations.
This is intended for 1581 drives. You just as well use the Send Command option. Just hit C= O or ALT-O from terminal mode for Disk Operations, and hit S for Send Command. Type /dirname at the prompt to change to the diretory DIRNAME. This command doesn't work on any other drive type except 1581's and compatibles (including CMD drives in 1581 emulation mode)
MH> 4, CLOCKS, in User Environment.
The Online Time clock is your mormal online timer. It Resets to zero when you log on, and runs until you log off (actuallt the clock watches the carrier detect line to reset, start, and stop). The Time Of Day clock is set from the little SmartWatch project that is floating around (the one that plugs into the joystick port). Matthew said this is one of those options that is really unnecessary (TOD that is), but said he may add a way for a user to set the clock outside of desterm (perhaps by setting TI$ from BASIC, maybe by reading the RTC inside a CMD drive)
MH> 5, SCRIPT, compatibility from 2.00 to 2.01, load address & format.
Can't tell you about the address and format, but I can say that the only places scripts work properly in v2.01, is when you load and run them manually, and if you set one up to autoexecute when you boot DesTerm. Write your script using the buffer (in EDITABLE mode), save it to disk, and load the compiler as a transfer protocol (filename is COMPILER.DPR). Press Commodore or ALT-R or call Receive Files from the main menu. This will start the compiler. Supply the filename you used when saving (it must have been 12 characters or less). If everything was legit in the script, it will be compiled and saved as FILENAME.DSL (or DSL.FILENAME in v2.00). You will be asked to replace the existing file if the compiled script's filename (see above) already exists. Respond with Yes or NO. After saving (or not saving) press a key as directed. You will be returned to where you called the compiler from (main menu or Terminal Mode)
MH> 6, COMPILER, same as #5 above.
See above...
MH> 7, PHONEBOOK, same as #5.
The phone book operates identically to v2.00. The only differece are some additions. In the phone book editor (Edit Number File from main menu, or Commodore or ALT-N from Terminal Mode), there is a new option called "Dial String". This string number, 1-3, selects which dial string to use when calling a particular BBS. You define these strings in the menu Modem Settings\Hayes-1670 Setup. Usually these strings are defined as simply "ATDT" (or ATDP for pulse dialing on older phone systems). Define these as whatever should be sent prior to each dialout. I used to have one set to AT%C0\N0 to disable data compression and error correction on my high speed modem, and another set to AT%C1\N6 to turn them back on. I didn't use the third option.
The other addition is where you define your Logon Name and Password. Before, you had to use a scipt to send these parameters upon logon to a BBS. Now, yopou can hit Commodore-9 to send the Name and Commodore-Zero to send the password. You must of course define your Name and Password for all of your BBSs. The Commodore-9/Zero do not take on any values until you successfully hook up (when the modem finally says CONNECT xxxxxx).
MH> SCRIPT, Not executing during a log-on.
See above.
MH> Script/Compiler observation: The small
See above again.
MH> compiler. The use of "external" programs is still the same. Am I missing
Actually, the ability to load external programs (called "Overlays") was somewhat eliminated in v2.01. I think there's still the option to reserve some memory, but there are no longer any oad or execute options. The only overlay I ever saw was the compiler as used in 2. 00.
In 2.01, since the compiler is now a protocol, this overlay option became somewhat useless. Finally, all protocols (including the compiler) were moved to external files. Since the only other thing I can think of that an overlay would be used for is a protocol, and since protocols are now external, that maed the overlay option even more useless, and it was effectively removed.
MH> CRASH and LOCK-UP's, Another major
The only place I have ever had it lock up is when there is a disk operation in progess (such as a file copy) and a disk error occurs. This usually happens when the disk error occurs during the course of a script execution.
MH> EDITORS, There are two editors in the
These options are actual OPTIONS, rather than files to be loaded into the buffer. YOu are actually loading a piece of Machine Code. You could also write your own code, and perhaps tiurn the buffer into, say, a sprite editor, a keyboard layout editor, or even a font editor. You can write any type of editor you want, as long as it remains compatible with DesTerm's code and memory availability. The EDITABLE module makes the 2.01 buffer work like DesTerm 2.00's buffer.
The CHARACTER module let's you store data in the buffer based on characters, rather than on lines. Before you had 733 lines max, now you have 61K max, which is about 245 disk blocks, without the lines resrtriction. However, you cannot edit the buffer's contents in this mode.
MH> SWAP, in the buffer options menu. What is it's function, operation, use ?
The original intent of this swap feature was to allow you to write some data in the buffer, or capture some, and then temporarily swap it to a portion of your 64K of video RAM (that is required to use this option), leaving the main buffer empty (or if you chose to actually SWAP the data, then it performs a SWAP rather than a simple FETCH or STASH). It was basically intended to almost double the buffer size. It doesn't work properly on all machines; in fact, on some, the SWAP menu won't even appear (pressing return on the SWAP option would simply be ignored), as if the system couldn't detect 64K video RAM.
MH> Question: Is the compiler, CHARACTER set sensitive ? Does it make a
Not that I know of. It is sensitive to the case of the text, and of course, proper syntax.
MH> Question: Does desterm have problems with cartridges like the MACH-128 fast-load type cartridge?
The Mach-128 cartridge works fine with DesTerm, as far as I can tell, but if you have SwiftLink and/or an REU, then chances are it won't work, due to conflicts with SwiftLink and/or the REU.
MH> Question: Is there life after desterm ?
Depending on how you want this answered... DesTerm is the best I think, and Matthew Desmond (yes, Matthew Desmond , not Steven Cuthbert) has regained control of DesTerm and will be getting started with repairing it, and maybe adding some extras. I just want RTS/CTS flow control and proper full-background color control (I have developed my own code for this, and that code can do about 9600 baud or so, and it hasn't even been optimized).
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More Desterm
From : JESSE LAXSON
BOB MASSE writes:
-> Try this... right before you get to that 733 line limit in the buffer of Desterm, press the No Scroll key on the 128. This should tell the host computer to -=STOP=-. Then you can manually save this to disk. When you are ready to resume, clear the buffer C= (commodore key) [Q] and press CONTROL [Q] (tells the host computer to resume transmission). This is the way I used to do it.
Do you mean you did this without loss of text? Cool! I'll try it NEXT time...
Thanks!
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Dialogue 128 extensions
From : Henry Sopko
David Schmoll asks:
DS>What kind of information can you tell me about extensions for Dialogue in general? What are the two $04's at the beginning of the program? are there certain memory areas used?
Well, since I've been asked quite a bit about extentions on Dialogue and what are the requirments to write one, I'll tell everyone what I have learned so far. When I set out to write my own extension for Dialogue, I did not have a clue as to what memory was available for an extension. Even where the extension was to load and what the memory limit was. Even more confusing was the 4 bytes at the beginning of extensions.
It seemed to me after much trial and error, that the author of Dialogue did not want anyone else to write extension. I believe the bytes were put there to confuse anyone that would attempt to write there own extension. The 4 bytes are just pointers for indirect jmp's. The first pointer is to point to the start of your routine. The second
pointer is to point to a RTS. Simple eh?
Memory for an extension is VERY limited. I'm not sure yet to the exact limit, but its not much over the 1K amount. Extensions are loaded in at address $0400.
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modem speed
From : tarpon@dsn.com
A > Well, on a 128, you should be able to hook all three up (in theory). The 128 has an extra address that the 64 doesn't have...but I think it involves running a wire to a pin somewhere inside the 128...Marko, you
Yes and no. The three I/O addresses available on the C128 are $D700, $DE00, and $DF00. Unfortunately the three add-ons don't comply so neatly. The REU sits at $DF00. The Swiftlink can use any of the three, depending on software. I use Desterm which only uses $DE00. That leaves the QBB which ALSO uses $DE00. Soooo the solution may be to put a hardware switch on the $DE00 i/o line to the QBB, to bring it high when not in use. That way it shouldn't send any data out when the Swiftlink is addressed. How does that sound????????
